Oh no, we are NOT re-visiting the Jenson v Lewis scorecard. Get back on topic, please, everyone.

You'll never keep us down!

I'm still unsure over Hamilton's ability to nail it every single weekend, simply because it's only been half a season and he's had setup problems on more than most, but he has managed to fix them. With Spa coming up, the horrors of twittergate and the awry setup are still rather fresh in mind. I'm glad he's generating the negative Nicole energy (which apparently is going to be turned into positive, again, ugh) into drive and determination for his championship push, he seems focussed on one thing and one thing only (I hope). He is leaving no stone unturned, it's exciting.

and seeing as 50% of this thread is NicoI'm still wary of him (as a Hamilton fan, I actually think Nico is great). He has the speed somewhere, I felt a little sorry for him in Hungary, his run down to T1 was electric but from the exit onwards everything simply unravelled. You can't blame him for staring P2 in the face and a victory shot to becoming a tad short sighted and aggressive. The difference between when Hamilton was going through a rough patch was that the speed was expected to come back, and with a vengeance, can that really be said for Nico, where is he going to find that extra gear? Although it isn't as if he is slow, both drivers are pushing each other right now, its healthy... sort of.

I'm still unsure over Hamilton's ability to nail it every single weekend, simply because it's only been half a season and he's had setup problems on more than most, but he has managed to fix them. With Spa coming up, the horrors of twittergate and the awry setup are still rather fresh in mind. I'm glad he's generating the negative Nicole energy (which apparently is going to be turned into positive, again, ugh) into drive and determination for his championship push, he seems focussed on one thing and one thing only (I hope). He is leaving no stone unturned, it's exciting.

and seeing as 50% of this thread is NicoI'm still wary of him (as a Hamilton fan, I actually think Nico is great). He has the speed somewhere, I felt a little sorry for him in Hungary, his run down to T1 was electric but from the exit onwards everything simply unravelled. You can't blame him for staring P2 in the face and a victory shot to becoming a tad short sighted and aggressive. The difference between when Hamilton was going through a rough patch was that the speed was expected to come back, and with a vengeance, can that really be said for Nico, where is he going to find that extra gear? Although it isn't as if he is slow, both drivers are pushing each other right now, its healthy... sort of.

I wouldn't say he was focused purely on driving, only the last weekend he said his mind was elsewhere and he wasn't really focused.

I wouldn't say he was focused purely on driving, only the last weekend he said his mind was elsewhere and he wasn't really focused.

It's hard to explain... I think Hamilton initiated the whole thing personally, and I think he's struggling but he did it because he wants a championship. There's a fine line between being focussed and your mind being elsewhere. It's almost as if part of him is like "stop f£&*ing about Lewis and drive the bloody car," regardless of how much it 'hurts' him. He's putting being a racing driver at the very very top of his priorities, with little room for anything else, I'm not saying he didn't before, but I can just sense this new, ruthless sort of energy from him. Maybe I'm crazy.

It's hard to explain... I think Hamilton initiated the whole thing personally, and I think he's struggling but he did it because he wants a championship. There's a fine line between being focussed and your mind being elsewhere. It's almost as if part of him is like "stop f£&*ing about Lewis and drive the bloody car," regardless of how much it 'hurts' him. He's putting being a racing driver at the very very top of his priorities, with little room for anything else, I'm not saying he didn't before, but I can just sense this new, ruthless sort of energy from him. Maybe I'm crazy.

Very good points, I can see what you mean when you consider it from this perspective.

It's hard to explain... I think Hamilton initiated the whole thing personally, and I think he's struggling but he did it because he wants a championship. There's a fine line between being focussed and your mind being elsewhere. It's almost as if part of him is like "stop f£&*ing about Lewis and drive the bloody car," regardless of how much it 'hurts' him. He's putting being a racing driver at the very very top of his priorities, with little room for anything else, I'm not saying he didn't before, but I can just sense this new, ruthless sort of energy from him. Maybe I'm crazy.

I'm still unsure over Hamilton's ability to nail it every single weekend, simply because it's only been half a season and he's had setup problems on more than most, but he has managed to fix them. With Spa coming up, the horrors of twittergate and the awry setup are still rather fresh in mind. I'm glad he's generating the negative Nicole energy (which apparently is going to be turned into positive, again, ugh) into drive and determination for his championship push, he seems focussed on one thing and one thing only (I hope). He is leaving no stone unturned, it's exciting.

and seeing as 50% of this thread is NicoI'm still wary of him (as a Hamilton fan, I actually think Nico is great). He has the speed somewhere, I felt a little sorry for him in Hungary, his run down to T1 was electric but from the exit onwards everything simply unravelled. You can't blame him for staring P2 in the face and a victory shot to becoming a tad short sighted and aggressive. The difference between when Hamilton was going through a rough patch was that the speed was expected to come back, and with a vengeance, can that really be said for Nico, where is he going to find that extra gear? Although it isn't as if he is slow, both drivers are pushing each other right now, its healthy... sort of.

Good post. It is a relieve to see that there ARE Hamilton fans who are able to believe that Hamilton is better than Rosberg but not by much. (Instead of things like: the RosbergS of this world... Kudo's!

I'm not prepared to get involved in this. On bad week for Lewis and Rosberg doing well, the vultures will come flying in.

Rosberg had a very poor last race, things didn't go right for him, but shouldn't forget he has outshone lewis a few times and he could again.
A strong Rosberg is needed for both the WDC and WCC charge to come true.

Oh no, we are NOT re-visiting the Jenson v Lewis scorecard. Get back on topic, please, everyone.

mgs15 likes this.

Agreed with Tom though. Nico really is a dark horse. I see him giving Lewis hard times moreso than JB and I think JB is a pretty kick ass driver. I'd like to see Mercedes have an MP4/4 next year to see what Nico is really capable of.

He did say he was determined and went for gaps he normally wouldn't have. Plus everyone know how much he wants his 2nd WDC. He has a good chance to do so this season.

This bothered me. It implies that in the past hes been conservative, that he hasn't maximised his potential. I know these tyres are limiting, but it was strange for him to say that. I don't think he was being literal, it was just that he really was fed up with being in traffic, but this time it worked out for him.

As a Lewis fan I wont be happy if he gets a car like RB7 when the both drivers cruise 1-2* in the lead while rest follow some 10-15 sec behind. For me the best of Lewis is when he has a car on par with others to fight for championship. Those overtakes which only he can pull off!

Sorry if this has been covered, but has Lewis gotten the brake issues sorted out?

Well he didn't mention them in Hungary afaik. If it's correct about the new wheel with the liner to reduce heat transfer, that we seemed to see a photo of, then I guess he's been able to go back to the hot-running Carbon Industrie brakes??

He's been back on CI since Canada IIRC. He always mentions here and there that he isn't 100% in sync with the car, but surely it's barely anything. He must he at 95% now, at least. Hamilton likes to underplay things, anyway, so he's probably where he wants to be.

He's been back on CI since Canada IIRC. He always mentions here and there that he isn't 100% in sync with the car, but surely it's barely anything. He must he at 95% now, at least. Hamilton likes to underplay things, anyway, so he's probably where he wants to be.

yea but it's about looking, not about track layout and quality of racing

I agree. He has a habit of playing things down, makes sense really, if he turns out to be correct then well, at least it was expected. On the other hand when he's completely wrong a la Hungary, "I have no chance" it feels that little bit better.

I agree. He has a habit of playing things down, makes sense really, if he turns out to be correct then well, at least it was expected. On the other hand when he's completely wrong a la Hungary, "I have no chance" it feels that little bit better.

Indeed, the competition between the two former karting team mates has been far closer than many predicted with Rosberg’s smooth, considered approach more than a match for Hamilton’s more rugged style. At the half way point, Hamilton has the edge on pole positions (4-to-3), but it’s his German colleague who is leading the win count 2-to-1 thanks to sterling performances in Monaco and Britain. And if it weren’t for his three DNFs, Rosberg would likely be much closer to his team mate in the points.

But Hamilton, who has struggled with a lack of confidence in the F1 W04 for most of the year, definitely seems to be gaining in momentum as the season goes on, as demonstrated by his peerless drive in Hungary.

a) I wish people wouldn't use the phrase "more than a match for" when they don't understand what it means. Rosberg has not been "more than a match for" Hamilton because that would mean Rosberg had been better than Hamilton.

b) Using the win count as a measure of performance grates a bit considering what happened at Silverstone, particularly when Rosberg's win in Britain is called a "sterling performance."

c) The "without the three DNFs Rosberg would likely be much closer to his teammate in points" is lazy journalism and has been rightly discredited on this site by several people.

Basically I think the reviewer has seized on Hamilton vs Rosberg being the only remotely close teammate battle at the front and is exaggerating how close it's been. I still rate Rosberg highly but from what I've seen in the last four races, this isn't going to be another Alonso vs Hamilton.

Indeed, the competition between the two former karting team mates has been far closer than many predicted with Rosberg’s smooth, considered approach more than a match for Hamilton’s more rugged style. At the half way point, Hamilton has the edge on pole positions (4-to-3), but it’s his German colleague who is leading the win count 2-to-1 thanks to sterling performances in Monaco and Britain. And if it weren’t for his three DNFs, Rosberg would likely be much closer to his team mate in the points.

But Hamilton, who has struggled with a lack of confidence in the F1 W04 for most of the year, definitely seems to be gaining in momentum as the season goes on, as demonstrated by his peerless drive in Hungary.

a) I wish people wouldn't use the phrase "more than a match for" when they don't understand what it means. Rosberg has not been "more than a match for" Hamilton because that would mean Rosberg had been better than Hamilton.

b) Using the win count as a measure of performance grates a bit considering what happened at Silverstone, particularly when Rosberg's win in Britain is called a "sterling performance."

c) The "without the three DNFs Rosberg would likely be much closer to his teammate in points" is lazy journalism and has been rightly discredited on this site by several people.

Basically I think the reviewer has seized on Hamilton vs Rosberg being the only remotely close teammate battle at the front and is exaggerating how close it's been. I still rate Rosberg highly but from what I've seen in the last four races, this isn't going to be another Alonso vs Hamilton.

What about Hamilton's problems? Without the tyre failure in Silverstone it would be 2:1 in wins.

Autosport Plus (subs only) this week have an interview with Andrew Shovlin, the Merc chief race engineer about managing the communications over the radio with the drivers, and also a couple of general observations.

If the car is off the pace and you've got a bit lost on set-up or you've lost your baseline, you can't seem to get the balance to work, the drivers do start to get a bit jumpy. The engineer's job is to calm them down and not to panic themselves.

He talks a little about Lewis & Nico in very general terms and how the race engineers have to cope when something like the tyre failure at Silverstone happens. No earth-shattering revelations but pretty interesting as general context for the team mate battle.

Indeed, the competition between the two former karting team mates has been far closer than many predicted with Rosberg’s smooth, considered approach more than a match for Hamilton’s more rugged style. At the half way point, Hamilton has the edge on pole positions (4-to-3), but it’s his German colleague who is leading the win count 2-to-1 thanks to sterling performances in Monaco and Britain. And if it weren’t for his three DNFs, Rosberg would likely be much closer to his team mate in the points.

But Hamilton, who has struggled with a lack of confidence in the F1 W04 for most of the year, definitely seems to be gaining in momentum as the season goes on, as demonstrated by his peerless drive in Hungary.

a) I wish people wouldn't use the phrase "more than a match for" when they don't understand what it means. Rosberg has not been "more than a match for" Hamilton because that would mean Rosberg had been better than Hamilton.

b) Using the win count as a measure of performance grates a bit considering what happened at Silverstone, particularly when Rosberg's win in Britain is called a "sterling performance."

c) The "without the three DNFs Rosberg would likely be much closer to his teammate in points" is lazy journalism and has been rightly discredited on this site by several people.

Basically I think the reviewer has seized on Hamilton vs Rosberg being the only remotely close teammate battle at the front and is exaggerating how close it's been. I still rate Rosberg highly but from what I've seen in the last four races, this isn't going to be another Alonso vs Hamilton.

Yeah quite. A bit biased. And not 'smooth considered' versus 'rugged' again OMG

If you got "rugged" with these tyres then you'll be lucky to make it back to the pits!

The article seems like patchwork quilt of other peoples opinions and stereotypes TBH.

Then again...... you've got to let the intern off tea making duty occasionally........

Nothing new for the F1 press. They like to put drivers into neat little boxes. If something happens that doesn't match with an already held preconception then it is ignored (such as Nico struggling with tyres in Bahrain and Canada relative to his 'rugged' tyre eating monster of a teammate) and if something happens which fits in their neat little box then it's amplified (such as Hamilton's fuel issue in Malaysia). The underdog prevailing is also a much more interesting narrative for a story.

Would Nico have more points had he not suffered retirements- well yeah, obviously. However in each of those races he was behind his teammate on track when his car expired. If the article wants to consider Rosberg's misfortune then it also has to consider the effects of Hamilton's tyre blow out in Silverstone, and the resulting large points swing in Nico's favour there. But don't hold your breath on anybody rushing to acknowledge that. Nico did have a very good run of races, and LH has had his much publicised issues with getting comfortable with the car- the focus on those two elements does somewhat distort the reality of the 10 races as a whole.

Autosport Plus (subs only) this week have an interview with Andrew Shovlin, the Merc chief race engineer about managing the communications over the radio with the drivers, and also a couple of general observations.

He talks a little about Lewis & Nico in very general terms and how the race engineers have to cope when something like the tyre failure at Silverstone happens. No earth-shattering revelations but pretty interesting as general context for the team mate battle.

I just wonder how they could lose their baseline. Aren't those settings determined back at the factory even before the car arrives at the race venue and hence saved somewhere for them to return to if needed? Or did he mean new baselines created in the pits as they progressively(hopefully) prepare the car for quali and race?. Even if it was the latter, surely they must have a method of saving even these...

Indeed, the competition between the two former karting team mates has been far closer than many predicted with Rosberg’s smooth, considered approach more than a match for Hamilton’s more rugged style. At the half way point, Hamilton has the edge on pole positions (4-to-3), but it’s his German colleague who is leading the win count 2-to-1 thanks to sterling performances in Monaco and Britain. And if it weren’t for his three DNFs, Rosberg would likely be much closer to his team mate in the points.

But Hamilton, who has struggled with a lack of confidence in the F1 W04 for most of the year, definitely seems to be gaining in momentum as the season goes on, as demonstrated by his peerless drive in Hungary.

a) I wish people wouldn't use the phrase "more than a match for" when they don't understand what it means. Rosberg has not been "more than a match for" Hamilton because that would mean Rosberg had been better than Hamilton.

b) Using the win count as a measure of performance grates a bit considering what happened at Silverstone, particularly when Rosberg's win in Britain is called a "sterling performance."

c) The "without the three DNFs Rosberg would likely be much closer to his teammate in points" is lazy journalism and has been rightly discredited on this site by several people.

Basically I think the reviewer has seized on Hamilton vs Rosberg being the only remotely close teammate battle at the front and is exaggerating how close it's been. I still rate Rosberg highly but from what I've seen in the last four races, this isn't going to be another Alonso vs Hamilton.

Assuming you've quoted it in full, it appears they've also forgotten about Hamilton's tyre blowout and subsequent 5 place grid penalty in Bahrain, which considering his pace in the second part of the race (via live timing) cost him fourth place in my opinion and perhaps a chance at third.

As others have mentioned a poorly written piece, with the usual driving stereotypes, but how anyone can call Rosberg relatively smooth after his opening lap in Hungary, or his lockup in Montreal which led to the team having to pit him again, I don't know.

Than there is the overhyping of statistics to support the fallacy that its been close by focusing on poles and wins (4:3, 2:1 respectively), without focusing on the actual qualification and race results which are 7-3 in quali and 7-3 in the race (the Malaysia result balanced by the Silverstone one), while omitting that even the statistics that favour Rosberg such as the number of wins, don't hold up to any real scrutiny.

Autosport Plus (subs only) this week have an interview with Andrew Shovlin, the Merc chief race engineer about managing the communications over the radio with the drivers, and also a couple of general observations.

He talks a little about Lewis & Nico in very general terms and how the race engineers have to cope when something like the tyre failure at Silverstone happens. No earth-shattering revelations but pretty interesting as general context for the team mate battle.

I just wonder how they could lose their baseline. Aren't those settings determined back at the factory even before the car arrives at the race venue and hence saved somewhere for them to return to if needed? Or did he mean new baselines created in the pits as they progressively(hopefully) prepare the car for quali and race?. Even if it was the latter, surely they must have a method of saving even these...

The problem I think is that the track and conditions are always changing. So when they go back to their baseline setup, it no longer feels the same as it did earlier because the track has improved etc. Which makes it very difficult for a driver who has gone down the wrong setup path to try and find his way back on it again. In fact, they need to find a new baseline again and try improving from that.

Ross Brawn: “We’ll have a much more respectable second half. We’ve scored more points already than we did last year, and we’re just over halfway through. We’ve got a strong enough organisation to ensure we won’t let it slip. We’re on a journey here with Lewis and we don’t know where the limits are.”

Rosberg surely aims to break Lewis' run of pole positions, and I think he can. Looking at past performance, Rosberg has been a very strong qualifier at Spa and I see the possibility of another Monaco where both drivers are extremely close in one lap pace.